8Bit/16Bit Generation Vs Current Gen

Fuck...I got into a conversation with a "retro gamer" who only has his old stuff and a Wii and he hates on PS3 and Xbox 360 sooooo much without even owning either one and minimal play ever. I really felt like I was talking to a stubborn wall. It drove me fucking crazy.

I was talking about some games for xbox and ps3 that are really cool, and play amazingly well with or without the good graphics... and he went on and on about how the system sucks, the game sucks, all it is is "good graphics" and this generation is "graphic whores"....and dont even get him started on multiplayer. Online is "the only reason games are made anymore is to play online, there is no point to single player in any games"....oh and the Wii is the best system ever made (as is Nintendo the best company ever). I showed a video of the new Angry Video Game Nerd review of the NEW Ghostbusters (as James Rolfe - which is a good review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4usP1V8n8xQ) and he starts telling me how he played it for Xbox and it's terrible, the controls suck so he couldnt get into it...and he'd play the wii version any day because it plays so much better and is a better game...I mean, shit that is straight up not true. I really dont understand these arguments. He claims the that 360 "copied" PC and that the only system closest to a gaming system in the current generation is the Wii...the others are just PC's and what's the point of a PC as a gaming console only.

Such a headache. I mean, I appreciate the old days just as much as the next 80's baby but it's ridiculous when people don't realize how much goes into games these days and try to pretend that just because something is great looking, it can't be a good game because the only focus is on the graphics. Plus theres nothing worse than a heavily opinionated person who puts something down that they have minimal experience with...we see that here all the time with the fanboys of either ps3 or xbox.

Anyway - how do you guys feel about the old days vs today (those of you that experienced both in their prime)? What kind of arguments would you make? I do agree that the 3D shooter is beyond played out these days...but where do we go from here? Personally i like that more 2D shit is showing back up these days with refreshed graphics. Like it looks the new Metroid might have some side scroller elements. This Shadow Complex game. New SMB Wii...it seems like new technology meets old style is popping up more and more and I'm really digging it. But there truly are a lot of solid games in this current generation...I dont understand how this dude really believes that these games are just movies.

CLIFFS: Dude cant appreciate new games because wiener is stuck in his Super Nintendo. How do you feel about the old days vs the new?

My first main consoles I were old enough to remember were the SNES and genesis.

I played the shit out of streets of rage 2 with my bro.

We also played all the sonics and some super mario.

Then my dad introduced us to Phantasy Star 3 and it was the first rpg I ever played I hated how hard it was but I never experienced anything like it at the time. Then I became a JRPG nerd for the next few years after that.

When it took quite literally 1/1000th of the amount of time and effort to generate game resources SO much more time could be spent putting together a compelling story and intersting gameplay mechanics.

My first main consoles I were old enough to remember were the SNES and genesis.

I played the shit out of streets of rage 2 with my bro.

We also played all the sonics and some super mario.

Then my dad introduced us to Phantasy Star 3 and it was the first rpg I ever played I hated how hard it was but I never experienced anything like it at the time. Then I became a JRPG nerd for the next few years after that.

Those were some good times.

Oh this thread is about something else sorry, lol.

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Streets of Rage 2 ftmfw, I still play the fuck out of that game.

I don't much like newer games either, but I won't go so far as to say they're all terrible, they're not. They're just not what I want. I love the sprites from the 8bit/16bit era because they leave room for imagination.

For example, the little sprites in secret of mana or final fantasy games, they're not super detailed realistic characters, no. However, they have so much character distilled in the way they look that it sort of defines who they are to a degree that is different than today's 3D games. I can imagine Locke or Cecil or the Battletoads to look however I want in my mind and really get into the games and using my imagination to submerse myself into the gameplay and environment.

This can't be said of games today, theres nothing left to the imagination at all anymore. The creators have the ability to create such vivid and realistic graphics that they leave nothing to be questioned about the appearance of something. I personally just can't submerse myself into the game the same way as the xbit generation, the games feel more like a list of chores that need to be completed before the next ten minute spoken dialogue not unlike watching a movie that you control some parts of.

I had a ps3, and a 360 both broke but I never played anything on either system that made me feel as though I needed to get the system fixed or get another one. The games are fun sure, but rarely are they fun a second time around.

I have a pretty formidable collection of my favorite snes/sega/nes games, most being rpgs but several other genres as well. Everytime I play these games I recall the days of when I was young without a care in the world and immerse myself into the world of the game. It has a lot to do with the memories that are conjured when playing these games, of a better freer and simpler age.

Plus, seeing how far you can get on the hardest mode in Streets of Rage 2/3 without using a continue, or if you can beat Sonic 3 + Knuckles in less than an hour, or if you can get to the end of Alladin without having to start over using a password, or if you can beat Chrono Trigger without ever taking any extra time to level your characters. These things and more are just fun, and some of the games are set up so you can plug it in, play for 10 minutes and turn it off whenever you feel like it. You don't have to sit through three cutscenes and find six keys to unlock the door of damnation before you get to a save point.

It's all in what you look for in a game, but some of us have no problem playing the same games from 1988-1997 over and over. All the ideas then were new, all the ideas now are repeats in an uncomfortable setting.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my old consoles and game library. You had to use your imagination more than you do now, and even though for most games you were provided with a story line even more bland than "The president has been kidnapped by ninjas, are you a bad enough of a dude to rescue him" you could just imagine all the shit that was going on.

Hell, in Super Mario Brothers, you didn't even know what was going on until you got to the first castle with no princess.

I agree that a LOT of games now are more eye candy over story and game play - but there are some that do weave and incredible tale like Mass Effect or Fallout 3.

and then you have games that feature awesome gameplay ideas (assassins creed) but were maybe a bit poorly executed.

on the same point though - there are PLENTY of 8/16 bit games that were nothing but pure trash. You don't hear people reminisce about Festers Quest, but about Great stuff like Super Metroid.

Fast forward 20 years when we are going to have this shit being beamed directly into our brains or something we are going to look back at this gen of consoles and remember the good and the bad exactly as we do now.

on the same point though - there are PLENTY of 8/16 bit games that were nothing but pure trash. You don't hear people reminisce about Festers Quest, but about Great stuff like Super Metroid.

Fast forward 20 years when we are going to have this shit being beamed directly into our brains or something we are going to look back at this gen of consoles and remember the good and the bad exactly as we do now.

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Yeah, definably. There were tons and tons and tons and tons... and tons of really really shitty games that were nothing more than clones of each other with new characters.

You gotta make a lot of trash before you can make something good though, any artist can tell you that

*After playing Metal Gear Solid 14 in 2029* "Woo, shit dude that was fun." "Yeah, but man...remember the days when you weren't put into a trance of unconciousness when you played a game? That was the shit." "Yeah, and you used a controller or something to move your character, those days were awesome. And you played it on a tv too." "Yeah, you could do stuff while playing games like eat popcorn and shit."

I would take a squaresoft game on SNES over any current RPG. Loved that they put out this After Years FFIV game but I think the way they are doing it in episodes (and very linear) is shitty. I'd take it any day over the new FF13 coming out though (everything about it looks unappealing to me as an early FF fan).

And 2 of my favorite games are still Super Mario World and Super Metroid.

LOVED my SNES (and still do) but I realize now there are only maybe 25ish games that are really worth going back to..out of all of them. I guess what I didnt like about this dude is that he was judging shit he didnt know about. Like, pretending he played games just to say they sucked. And putting something down because it looks TOO good so it can't have solid gameplay. I said Bioshock was a cool game, he clearly never played it, but said it's "overrated". I said infamous has some really amazing gameplay and it was super fun to play and he said "I wouldnt like it, dont even want to bother trying it" . Just annoying shit like that.

Wow, how closed minded can that guy get? I'm not even gonna comment on that one. Sure older games were really awesome back in the day, and some of them still are, but current consoles are great too. Gaming has evolved pretty fast and every generation has been a ton of fun IMO. This generation is no exception.

I would take a squaresoft game on SNES over any current RPG. Loved that they put out this After Years FFIV game but I think the way they are doing it in episodes (and very linear) is shitty. I'd take it any day over the new FF13 coming out though (everything about it looks unappealing to me as an early FF fan).

And 2 of my favorite games are still Super Mario World and Super Metroid.

LOVED my SNES (and still do) but I realize now there are only maybe 25ish games that are really worth going back to..out of all of them. I guess what I didnt like about this dude is that he was judging shit he didnt know about. Like, pretending he played games just to say they sucked. And putting something down because it looks TOO good so it can't have solid gameplay. I said Bioshock was a cool game, he clearly never played it, but said it's "overrated". I said infamous has some really amazing gameplay and it was super fun to play and he said "I wouldnt like it, dont even want to bother trying it" . Just annoying shit like that.

Definitely digging this discussion!

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I feel the same way about Square RPG's, after 9 I tried them all but never really liked any of them, in the middle of 12 somewhere but I couldnt care less because I'm probably not going to keep playing it. at first the you're-not-a-part-of-the-fight thing was cool...but after a while you can make your characters completely never need you at all, you can be in a room full of monsters that keep coming, go off make dinner watch a movie and you'd come back to find your party still killing the shit out of people My main problem is how many of squares games are centered around a government or something that you must overthrow... It was that way in 6 and 4 somewhat but it didn't feel as though you main objective was to simply overthrow a bastardized government. There was more to it, and explainable reasons for the existence of monsters in the world. Yeah, and the After Years game rocks too, can't wait for the next one.

The graphics are nice, and I commend Square for doing that, but there is seriously something missing from the characters they're using...they're too realistic for an RPG imho. RPG's are fantasy worlds, I want semi-cartoonish half americanized anime characters like you'd find on the snes. Make the characters distinct and different, not just a sea of normal looking people wearing extravagant clothing.

I bought Bioshock expecting a lot more than what I got from the reviews, I guess I just misunderstood what the creators thought an RPG was. I didn't like the game much though, I felt like I was playing Duke Nukem looking for keycards to get to the next room

My favorite game for the PS3 that I ever played was Heavenly Sword. That game was awesome, the voice acting and cinemas were, well, cinematic quality and I thought the story was actually pretty good.

edit: FF X-2 blows blows blows hardcore I hated that shit, I got like 7 hours into and gave it to a friend , FFX was alright I guess I hated blitzball though, I got to the end but couldn't beat Sin and didn't feel like puting in another 20hrs of play (from how badly I lost I figured it'd take at least that) just to beat him, I just looked up the endings on youtube

Wow, how closed minded can that guy get? I'm not even gonna comment on that one. Sure older games were really awesome back in the day, and some of them still are, but current consoles are great too. Gaming has evolved pretty fast and every generation has been a ton of fun IMO. This generation is no exception.

That guy sounds like a blockhead. I've been playing since the Master System, some of my fondest childhood memories are of getting my rescued hostages killed everytime my Choplifter got shot down. I still love my retro games with a passion. But there's no denying that "modern" games have evolved to their own standard of greatness. There is no way that anyone who has played games like Bioshock or God of War can deny the sheer impressiveness and incredibly high fun factor that can be found in today's games.

To me, the primary purpose of a game is to entertain the player(s); I have just as much fun playing Test Drive Unlimited (2007) as I did playing Test Drive 2 (1991) regardless of the fantastic graphics and online gameplay. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is one of the greatest adventure games ever but, it looks better than the original Tomb Raider so I'm sure this guy must hate it. Anyone who discriminates against a game based on it's visual aspects wheter good or bad is a troll. It's no wonder that the only current gen system he likes is the Wii, he doesn't seem to have enough brain cells to handle more than 2 buttons on a controller.

The only reason I can slightly agree with him is because the old games like Streets of Rage 2, SMB 3, A Link to the Past, etc etc have such superb gameplay, that you can pick them up now and enjoy them just as much as you did for the first time.

I still play the living fuck out of Streets of Rage 2, Maximum Carnage, and Super Mario 3 as well as other games because the gameplay is just so well done and charming, it never gets old.

Games these days, playing through god of war, Killzone 2, etc are epic and exciting and I love them, but don't really make me want to play them again ten years from now or even after I've beaten them and collected all the trophies (except uncharted...fuck i'm going to play that one to death).

All in all, games today are pretty epic in scope and seeing some of the scenes and how the stories in some unfold is amazing, but the charming quality of gameplay isn't strong enough to make me want to keep playing years from now.

Another thing that came to mind, after reading ThatCostsMunnies post, and I think one thing he might agree on.

It's the challenge that presents itself to you.

Today, yes, games are challenging. It's challenging to rotate the joystick exactly right, it's challenging to press a gaggle of buttons correctly to do what you need done. It's challenging to leap from one building to another and fling off of shit sticking out of walls for some reason.

It's challenging because of the complexity the controllers of today provide that wasn't available before.

Games of yesteryore were challenging because they were hard. The controls were always fairly simple, being that there were only between 2 and 6 buttons across the nes/snes/sega. You didn't have tons of buttons to add to your frustration when mowing down roes of aliens in Contra 3 or beating the ass of everyone in Final Fight 3. You simply went in and did your dirty work with ease, with the only difficulty being actually how hard the game is.

Sure after playing them a million times most of these games aren't hard to us anymore but they still offer a style of gameplay that bases how well you play on a score (usually) somewhere on screen that you could keep track of. It's just different today, is all.

I probably could've fleshed that idea out better but that's sort of what I'm trying to get at here.

btw, Maximum Carnage kicks ass I put it right next to Death and Return of Superman also for snes.

I remember enjoying Streets of Rage 2 but wow... I didnt realize that it was that popular still. I havent touched it since way back then. From what I recall, you could beat it fairly quickly ? like, 20 mins?

I remember enjoying Streets of Rage 2 but wow... I didnt realize that it was that popular still. I havent touched it since way back then. From what I recall, you could beat it fairly quickly ? like, 20 mins?

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Takes about an hour to do a full run through.

Me and the wife just played it this last weekend. We go through it every few months.